Affluent society

Since the end of WWII advanced nations in particular seem to have been liberated from poverty&sbquo inequality&sbquo and even instability in daily living. In actuality&sbquo however&sbquo they are now facing more problems of a different nature. This is what happens when you pursue economic development based on the old concept of economics&sbquo such as improving the level of productivity that existed in less affluent days. The American economist John Knneth Galbraith pointed this out in a 1958 work titled The Affluent Society. He said that an affluent society---that is &sbquo the kind of society that existed in the advanced nations at the time possessed three characteristics. First is the synthetic creation of desire. Ordinary&sbquo production was something to satisfy desire&sbquo but desire and needs became leading indicators to drive improvement in production. Second&sbquo the system to further create consumer debt became institutionalized&sbquo and its instability led to such problems as inflation and deflation. Third is the instant occurrence of social imbalance. This comprises civil imbalance and public imbalance&sbquo with public imbalance in particular tending to cause deficiencies in social service systems. These characteristics that Galbraith pointed out warn against the structural defects of the mass - consumption society&sbquo by comparing the real the idealistic. These points are still applicable today&sbquo and imply that affluence for mankind means building society while sharing the real and idealistic sense of distance to poverty.
Design&sbquo in particle. due to its profession&sbquo is incorporated the structure of getting people consume" functional beauty for an affluent society&sbquo" Design has been turned into a device to stimulate desires and appetites&sbquo and it is necessary to warm against this fact. In other words&sbquo it is necessary to keep in mind that distinguishing between affluence and poverty is not merely a matter of economics. Even looking at the recent variety of social problems&sbquo it seems evident that we need to revivify the true meaning of "affluent society" and urgently seek what it really means to attain spiritual affluence.

Copyright © 2009 Kazuo KAWASAKI All rights reserved.